Dear Year 7 Parents and Children
Today we celebrated the many great successes of our Year 7 classes of 2023 and bid farewell as they embark on their next stage of education and life.
Throughout your time at St John’s your teachers provided you with a wide and varied range of opportunities and experiences. You witnessed the great joy of learning and you developed core values that will sustain you for the rest of your life.
You are about to enter a very thrilling time in your young lives. A time that will bring lots of change!
This change will bring excitement but also sometimes a sense of fear because change is a time of leaving the safe place “you know” and entering the strange place “you do not know."
But challenge and change make us grow.
You have made wonderful friendships and shared the excitement of our school trip to Gartan, fabulous sporting success in Gaelic, Soccer, Swimming and Athletics events, great ICT, Eco and STEM experiences, your Shared Education journey, assemblies and our unforgettable school show ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.’ I personally will never forget your participation and engagement at rehearsals and the sheer joy on your faces when you performed on that stage. I was so proud of each one of you.
There is an exciting world of learning, adventure and new friendships waiting for you. Grasp it with both hands. Have great dreams and ambitions.
Make time in your day to be at peace with yourself. There is great learning in silence and the art of listening. Remember when you talk you are only repeating what you already know. When you listen you learn something new.
Always strive to make the world a better place –you have the power to do this. Stand up for those less fortunate than yourselves.
Going forward children, the post-primary school you attend, the exams you take and the people you meet along the way will continue to shape you in many ways.
However, it is your parents who will continue to shape you most.
Parents and carers, tell your children that you love them and that you are proud of them each day. Continue to teach your children to be self-reliant. Develop their integrity and self-belief.
Adolescence can be a challenging time for young people and parents. Sometimes the hardest thing to say is ‘No’. But saying ‘no’ means that you love them and want to keep them safe.
Parents and carers you have more influence over their life choices than anyone or anything else so teach them well.
Cherish them as you did the day they were born for they will reach adulthood in the blink of an eye.
Children be respectful of your parents. They truly are the people who want the very best for you.
Keep in touch with your primary school friends. They know the real you and have watched and helped you grow in so many ways. If you stay in touch with these friends, you will always stay true to yourself.
Be open to new friendships also and aim to be the friend you would wish for yourself.
Year 7, as your Principal, I am confident that the education and the care you have received here at St. John’s has prepared you well for your next important step. You will remain in our thoughts and prayers as you take your next steps.
Let us hear about your future successes and the great adventures you will have.
Finally, on behalf of the staff, Governors, fellow pupils and friends of St. John’s P.S. I wish you every success for the future.
God bless you all.
Geraldine O’Connor
